LIU Post Undergraduates Produce Safety PSAs for Nassau

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Students from LIU Post's Media Arts Department and Post Television (PTV) are working with local government to create public service announcements.

At the request of county officials, which recently created a "Walk Safe Nassau" campaign, Nicole Pitone and Steven Clerkin are creating two public service announcements (PSAs) and an eight minute 'school assembly' style video for use in the fall of 2012 that target pedestrian safety.

Nicole, an electronic media major from Merrick and president of the PTV Club, is producing the videos, according to Katherine Dalton, coordinator of the Television Center at LIU Post and an adjunct professor in the Media Arts Department. Steven, an electronic media major from Huntington, is the director.

The county contacted LIU Post (formerly known as the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University) after receiving notification that Hempstead Turnpike has been named as one of the most dangerous roads in New York State. According to statistics provided by Nassau, since 2005 over 35 people have lost their lives crossing the road.

"They were looking for a college that could shoot PSAs, and contacted Jean Carlomusto, the director of the TV station," said Dalton. "We found two students who could take on the project. We brainstormed ideas with them and basically let them go! We're just there to ensure they use the best techniques."

Using LIU Post equipment and facilities, Pitone and Clerkin have already gone into pre-production on the PSA, which will urge pedestrians to use crosswalks and use their best judgment when crossing roads. When they complete that, they'll move on to the eight minute assembly video.

For that piece, Pitone and Clerkin will interview friends of 16-year-old Anthony D'Alessandro, a Levittown High School student who tragically died in April 2012 after being struck by a vehicle on Hempstead Turnpike. It will feature interviews with students, with messages that include "Don't text" or "Listen to headphones" while crossing the busy roads, and pull your hood down so your peripheral vision isn't blocked.

The county hopes to have the video in hand by September, and have them shown to students in all 56 Nassau school districts.

"We feel honored that they asked us for their help," said Dalton. "At PTV we're always looking for a way to give back to the community. This is a way to do that and give our students professional experience that they can use in the future."